My Introduction to Vintage Spin-cast Reels

My first exposure to fishing reels was in the mid fifties. Johnson Century and Johnson Citation with their distinctive green bells were the models of reels that Dad had. I was given a Johnson Century at a very early age. I pretty much had the run of Dad's tackle box when we went fishing. I recall that the Johnson Citation model reel(s) was the model that Dad preferred. The bell was bigger and the spool held more line.

My collection of vintage spin-cast reels was never intended to be a collection for any pupose other than fishing with them and providing them to my kids, grand-kids, and friends. This picture show some of them, but not all. I acquired most of these from garage sales and from ebay. In my opinion, modern spin-cast reels are mostly inferior and certainly more expensive than the old reels pictured here.

The Johnson Model 80, sometimes called the sidewinder, pictured above preceded the two Johnson Century Model 100's pictured next to it. Although I never actually used the model 80 back in the day, I offer this picture to establish that the star drag was certainly part of the original Johnson design. While the Johnson sidewinders were fairly popular--it was the subsequent Johnson Century models that revolutionized freshwater sport fishing and set the standard by which all other spin-cast reels would be judged. The characteristic green bell became the Johnson signature color. Note the similarities of the Abu Garcia model 60 compared to the Johnson designs--right down to the patent green bell.

I lifted this photograph off of an ebay listing. If I don't win the bid, I will remove it. As I soon as I can get one of these models, I will provide much more indepth details.

Here is an early Abumatic 140 next to a Cook Premier badged Johnson Century reel.

Someone please tell me, as I have been unable to find any sources thus far to either confirm or deny my belief that Johnson and Garcia had some kind of business relationship or patent-sharing arrangement. With the exception of the drag, the design of the early Abumatics were VERY similar to the early Johnson reels. Johnson's design was patented during the early fifties. Although the drag was different on the Johnson Century and Johnson Citation, as opposed to the Abu Garcia reels , the star drag that became the earmark of the Abumatic series spin-cast reels, actually appeared on the earlier Johnson sidewinder type spin-cast reels that preceded the forward-bell models.

In 1960, my father moved our family from Arkansas to Anchorage Alaska with the Federal Aviation Agency (later changed to Administration). Here we were, a family of avid fishermen, and our baggage had not yet arrived. No fishing equipment. We went shopping for fishing rods and reels right away. None of the few stores in Anchorage carried Johnson reels. I am not sure why or how Dad knew that the new Garcia Abumatic fishing reels were essentially the same reels as the Johnson models, but he did. Maybe it was common knowledge. Dad was well-read and took a couple of the outdoor magazines of the time--Outdoor Life and Field and Stream, as I recall. So possibly he had read about them. Anyway, Dad always seemed well-informed on such issues.

It was at this time that I recieved got my first Abu Garcia, a red Abumatic 170. I was in the first grad and the reel had to live up to the standard of the beautiful green Johnson spin-cast reels I was accustomed to. They were different. These abumatics had a larger bell and were red. The adjustments on the handle-side of he reels were missing and the drag was the so-called star drag located where the crank met the body of the reel. By the time I had met the shiney red abumatic 170, the line release button had also been redesigned into the much larger ergonomically designed thumb-rest affair that became the earmark of Abumatics for a several subsequent generations of reels.

It did not take long for me to grow to love these model 170 Abumatics as well. Frankly, I don't recall what happened to these reels. They are very likely still in service in the hands of one of my brothers or cousins or their families. These reels, as will the Johnsons, will last a lifetime or two or three.